


Alex Wins Christmas

by not_who_we_are



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christmas, Gen, Gift buying, Holidays, Humor, Mansion Fic, eating candy, everyone being cute, fluffy fluff, getting lost in Bloomingdales
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 23:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_who_we_are/pseuds/not_who_we_are
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Alex wanders around Bloomingdale's because he needs to one-up Hank.<br/>Who knew shopping could be so hard?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alex Wins Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elsa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsa/gifts).



> Written for a prompt from the lovely, elsa, in which she wanted Alex to go holiday shopping.
> 
> In my head he just looks so adorable meandering through the massive store!
> 
> Thanks for the inspiration, elsa! Hope you enjoy it!

“Wait, so you’re telling me there are different colors of lipstick?”

The woman standing across from Alex literally bit her tongue to avoid a snarky response. It didn't work.

“Yes, sir,” and the “sir” part slithered from between her too-red lips, “lipsticks have _shades_. Is your girlfriend a Summer or a Spring?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he offered with no hesitation. “She’s just a friend.”

“OK… what season is your _friend_? You said she’s blonde?” 

“Sometimes she is… And season?” Alex cleared his throat to buy himself some time. “Can’t you just tell me what lipstick looks nice?”

The saleswoman seemed to take personal offense to that. “I assure you it is much more difficult than that,” she said with a haughty laugh. 

Alex’s eyes narrowed and his gaze slid across the impossibly large selection of tubes and jars and other unidentifiable shiny things.

“What about that one?” He jabbed his finger at the display case. “That one’s red. But not too red.”

“Well does she have a yellowish, or a blueish undertone to her skin?”

“Seriously?” 

The woman cocked her eyebrow, “Yes, why?”

“Yea, I think I’ll skip the lipstick.” He ambled away sheepishly.

The clock struck 2. Alex had been in Bloomingdale's for 3 hours, and had nothing to show for it.

Hank had been so pleased with himself when he returned to the mansion with his overflowing shopping bag. He claimed to have gotten “the perfect holiday gift” for everyone. “If that dork can do it, so can I,” Alex had thought. 

His vast reservoir of confidence was quickly draining. 

Maybe he would get Raven some chocolate. Girls liked chocolate, right? And Sean… sunscreen? Ear plugs? An aquarium? Did they even sell those here?

Alex found himself staring at a wall of socks. He didn’t even know what floor he was on anymore. “How is this place so big?” he muttered.  
He ran his fingers over the silky navy dress socks. Did Erik need socks? No, that was more of a Professor sort of thing. He seemed like the sock type. 

Then what about Erik? Alex knew 3 things about the guy: 1) he liked metal 2) he liked to eat 3) he liked Charles, and oh! 4) he was sort of a dick. But in a funny way. “I doubt they have a hardware department,” he thought begrudgingly. 

“Uhhh,” Alex huffed as he stomped along the shining marble floor. He stopped short in front of a large display of microscopes. To his horror his first thought was “Hank likes science.” He tossed the box, which had somehow found its way into his hands, back into the stack. “How old are you, man,” he scolded internally. “Hank likes science…” Alex banged his palm against his forehead.

Why was this so hard? He _knew_ these people. He even _liked_ most of them. Buying them gifts should be a snap.

The clock struck 4 and insanity was slowly setting in.

Alex had picked up everything from books to sweaters to gloves. He left of trail of discarded items in his wake. He was starving and his eyeballs burned every time he blinked. His steps were agonizing and he was acutely aware of his newfound limp.

He had never realized shopping was so difficult.

Alex, with his armful of socks, was inches away from dumping his haul on the counter and calling it a day when a towering arrangement caught his eye.

“Screw the socks,” he thought as he approached the gleaming golden packages.

Christmas morning, as they all sat around in bathrobes, sleepy smiles plastered to their faces, Alex passed out his offerings.

Each of them held an identical rectangular box. The shimmering metallic wrapping caught the early morning light. Alex thought they looked beautiful. 

The group exchanged glances, shaking the boxes lightly. The motion produced a light thumping sound to which Sean asked “is it a jigsaw puzzle?”

“At least it’s not socks,” Raven yawned out.

“Or hideous neckties,” added Erik smirking at the sleepy girl.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s lovely.” Charles’s tone was almost too pleasant and reassuring. 

“What do you think? I’d wrap up rocks or garbage or something. I know how to buy presents.” Alex waved away the errant thoughts that reminded him he did not, in fact, know how to buy presents. “Open them already! Jeez…”

In unison the boxes were ripped open, and the lids torn off to reveal a sprawling array of chocolates. Alex tried to suppress his huge grin as Raven gasped.

“You know I’m going to eat all of these, right?” as she shoved a small square into her mouth, her eyes rolling back ever so slightly.

“I love the caramel ones,” is what he thinks Sean said. But his mouth was stuffed and now under the control of the sticky treats.

“Very nice. Thank you, Alex,” said Charles. “Isn’t that so thoughtful, Erik?”

“Yea, thanks. Good call. Everyone loves candy.”

Alex couldn’t help but shoot a victorious look at the preoccupied Hank. He was too busy trying to separate the assortment into specific groups to notice.

But Alex pretty much felt like he won Christmas. “If Christmas was a think you could win,” he thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who's ever braved Bloomingdale's in NYC knows how overwhelming it can be. Poor Alex!
> 
> Also, if I didn't get the "season" stuff correct, it's probably because I still don't understand it myself! I know it's a bit more of a '70s and '80s thing, but I couldn't help it!


End file.
